Mirror trim panels have been widely used for many years to improve the aesthetic appearance of the interior of a vehicle. Although often used successfully, there are several problems and disadvantages with conventional mirror trim panels.
One of the disadvantages is related to the transportation of door trim panel assemblies having mirror trim panels formed as a part of or attached to the door trim panel. Such door trim panel assemblies are packaged and shipped with the mirror trim panel projecting upward from the top forward comer of the door trim panel. This method of packaging and shipping causes the mirror trim panel to be susceptible to damage, as other boxes or loads are placed near the carton containing the mirror trim panel. Furthermore, the size of the carton containing the door trim panel assembly must be greatly increased to accommodate the upward-projecting mirror trim panel, therefor affecting packing density within the transporter. Thus, both packaging and shipping costs are increased significantly, since the number of door trim panel assemblies which are transported is quite substantial, and each of these assemblies requires a larger carton to accommodate the mirror trim panel.
Another disadvantage is the method used to hold mirror trim panels in place. If the door trim panel is not formed with an integral mirror trim panel, the mirror trim panel must be separately attached to the sheet metal of the vehicle door. The space available for separate attachment, and alignment features to improve quality, is limited in the mirror attachment area. As a result, the attachment or locating provisions are at times less adequate than desired. Further, a separate mirror trim panel requires additional components within the final assembly plant, and also requires added assembly labor at the final assembly plant.